Latest ‘First Five’ Company Saving 200 Jobs, Promising 300 More

HARTFORD — Governor Dannel P. Malloy announced this week that the state will support the expansion plans of CareCentrix, a leading provider of home health benefits management services. As the latest “First Five” company, the project will save more than 200 existing jobs and add nearly 300 new positions by 2017.

“Health care and its supporting industries has been a solid driver of our economy for more than a decade, accounting for a rising share of private sector jobs today,” said Gov Malloy. “CareCentrix recognizes this fact. Although the company seriously considered other locations for this expansion, they ultimately chose Connecticut because the Hartford region has many competitive advantages. I welcome CareCentrix as the newest member of my First Five program.”

CareCentrix, having outgrown its space in East Hartford’s Founders Plaza, plans to invest millions into a corporate headquarters on the 11th and 12th floors of 20 Church Street in Hartford. The project will retain all 213 of the current employees and create 290 positions in the next five years, and includes the fitout of 30,000 square feet with more parking and space for offices. The company expects to move in by the end of the year.

Jobs created will range from executive level positions to call center staff. The company is a single source for the coordination of traditional home health, including skilled nursing care and home medical equipment.

Founded in 1996 as part of Gentiva Health Services Inc., CareCentrix became an independent company in 2008, and since then has expanded to include a network of 7,000 homecare providers and more than 30 million people and grown from $300 million to $850 million in revenues with care centers located across the country.

CareCentrix works on behalf of its health plan customers to coordinate members’ care, improve quality and service, and lower costs in home nursing, home infusion therapy, and home medical equipment. The company recently expanded its services to include home-based sleep disorder treatments through its acquisition of Sleep Management Solutions and costly hospital readmission reduction through its HomeSTAR program.

The state Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) will provide $12 million in grants over five years if all 213 existing employees are retained for the five years, and another $12 million grant will be paid over a five-year schedule if all 290 jobs are created in the five-year span, for a total of $24 million in state grants.

The total cost of the project is estimated to be $86 million.